In the month of November, ‘Open StadsLab’ was all about bioluminescence. Several groups of students from all over the Netherlands (the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, Koninklijke academie van beeldende kunsten Den Haag e.a.) visited BioArt Laboratories. They were introduced to bio-art, biotechnology and bioluminescent bacteria. During the workshop we taught them how to work in a lab, about safety issues and some other theoretical aspects of bioluminescence specifically in urban environments. The students also had a practical hands-on experience in our lab where they isolated bioluminescent bacteria from squid.